Primeval InterSeason  Predestination Paradox
by shadowglove
Summary: Sequel to Primeval Season Two. After emerging from the mysterious anomaly that rescued her from a grisly fate in the cage room, Chloe finds she has traveled back three years into the past. She's hurt, scared, n not sure what to do. Then she runs into Ben.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Primeval/Smallville.

Sequel to: Primeval - Season Two

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Somehow, despite the agony in her ankle Chloe managed to make it out of what would one day become Leek's secret hideaway into the night. The air was chilly and she hugged herself as she limped along, wondering just how far back she'd gone. It was obvious to her that for some unknown reason an anomaly had opened and tore her from the time and place where she was to meet a most gruesome death, and she was grateful yet confused. Why would an anomaly do so? Why that exact moment? That exact place? It seemed too precise to be coincidental. The fact that only she had gone through indicated that the anomaly had lasted mere seconds, not giving the menagerie of monsters around her any time to join her in this time. It was near miraculous but Chloe had spent too much time with scientists to take something like that at face value anymore. She'd learned that there was nothing coincidental. There was a pattern to everything, and this only added to the growing questions she had about her association with anomalies.

And her mother.

Chloe remembered what had seemed like seconds ago, her father and Stephen begging with her not to do what she was doing-but Helen hadn't spoken once. The blonde had seen the horror on her mother's face but there'd been awe there as well, and that didn't make sense. And then there'd been her mother's comments before about an experiment, about changing the past and seeing how it changed the future.

She went cold, wondering if this was just that experiment. Helen had said that the experiment would all depend on Chloe.

What if her mother had somehow managed to control anomalies?

What if she'd somehow programmed one to take her daughter to the past, knowing that Chloe's mere presence there would mess things up?

Fear filled her and Chloe's first instinct was to find her father, Nick would know what to do, but then she paused realizing that she didn't know exactly how far back she'd gone. Nick mightn't live in the same flat he'd been staying at, he mightn't have the same number...she might be playing right into her mother's games by going to her father before he even knew about her or about anomalies or-dear god-what if he hadn't even met Helen yet?

Her mind screamed its fear as she continued to limp down the busy street, no one paying her any mind despite her obvious injury.

She nearly didn't see the discarded newspaper, but gave a cry of relief when she did, picking it up and hobbling closer to the light of a store, reading the date. The blonde reread it once more, just to be sure that she was reading it correctly, before closing her eyes tightly. Three years. She'd only gone back three years. In this timeframe she had yet to step into the anomaly and start the chain reaction of events which would end up with her working for the ARC with her father and Stephen.

Helen's comments on Chloe's ability to change the circumstances of her entering the anomaly rang suspiciously in her mind, convincing herself even more that this was somehow all orchestrated by her mother for her own personal entertainment. This was a game to Helen, to see how the Time Child could change the past and thus force nature to...how had she put it again when talking about Claudia/Jenny and Ben/Hilary? Something about nature only allowing a certain amount of variation? Was Helen trying to see just how far she could push mother nature before mother nature started pushing back?

The whole concept was mind-boggling, and Chloe was terrified that just by the fact that she was here was going to do something horrible and change the future yet again. There was another her out there, in Maine if she remembered correctly. This her had never been in Smallville, had never known Clark or any of the others. This Chloe never met Ben. This Chloe was out there somewhere, doing something Chloe would never have any memory of because in three years time this Chloe would cease to exist and Chloe would take her place.

Chloe groaned, her head beginning to hurt her almost as much as her ankle.

Mind not on where she was going, Chloe bumped into someone, crying as her ankle throbbed with a vengeance and would have sent her tumbling ungracefully to the ground had someone not reached out and grabbed her. She whimpered in pain.

"Are you hurt?"

Chloe's eyes widened.

No.

_No_!

Her gaze rose from the broad chest to gaze into the face of a younger Hilary "Ben" Becker. He looked slightly different, and not just the age. His hair was longer, silky locks falling into his face, his clothes much more casual, two silver rings adorning his finger. The scar on his eyebrow was still there though, and that look in his hazel eyes...

Chloe gulped, unable to breathe, unable to look away. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

Her mind raced, trying to calculate the odds that something like this could actually be happening. How was it that out of all of the times that she could have been sent back that it was in the day and time in which she could stumble into Ben of all people? And yet there was no way that her mother was this omniscient. She couldn't have known what direction Chloe would head to once she escaped the building or that she'd bump into Ben reminiscent of their very first meeting.

"You're hurt." Ben's hazel gaze was narrowed on her leg, his grip still steel around her shoulders.

Chloe gazed down at her foot, which she wasn't touching the floor with, keeping it bent. "I am."

His gaze rose to her in narrowed confusion as he seemed to only now notice the disheveled, torn and slightly dirty clothes she wore. "You need to go to a hospital."

Her eyes widened in horror, knowing there was no way she could get out of that nest of dragons if she allowed him to take her to the hospital. She couldn't show her papers, which were issued three years in the _future_, and with no passport or any legal records of how she'd actually gotten into the country-no. There was no way she could go to a hospital!

Her horror must have shown on her face because Ben gave her a reassuring squeeze, eyeing her. "Why don't we sit down over there and have a coffee then? Help keep you off of your feet?"

She wanted to say no, to scream and race away, knowing that just by seeing him and talking to him she'd messed up something in her future. But she was in pain, alone, and Ben was the first and only friendly face she'd see.

How could one coffee really screw things up, anyway?

So despite the fact that her every instinct was screaming for her to say no, Chloe nodded. "Thank you."

He wrapped an arm around her and helped her limp towards one of the outside tables, seating her down before sitting across her. He eyed her in silence.

The weight of that gaze burnt her and she couldn't look at him.

"Are you running from someone? Were you attacked?"

What could she say? What should she say? Was there anything safe? Would a lie be as problematic as the truth?

"I'm fine now," she opted for instead of answering directly, gaze on the table.

The way he watched her betrayed that he didn't quite believe that, but Ben nonetheless didn't challenge her statement. "I'm Becker."

It was odd, hearing him introduce himself by his last name, and yet she figured it would be weirder than to hear him call himself 'Hilary'. "Chloe."

"From your accent I'm guessing you're American." He commented. "What parts of the great US of A do you hail from?"

What to answer? "All over, really. I've been doing a lot of...moving...lately." Oh how depressingly true that was. "Every time I feel like I can finally make heads and tails of my life I get unexpectedly uprooted and placed somewhere else."

"Job makes you move, huh?" He guessed.

"It seems more like a calling, than a job." She shrugged, hurrying to turn the conversation from her to him before he asked her what it was exactly that she did. "And what about you? From _your_ accent you're most decidedly local."

He grinned, his eyes twinkling at that as he nodded. "Born and bred."

The waitress came and Ben ordered his poison of choice while Chloe ordered her own.

When the woman had gone Ben turned to Chloe. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, but would you mind if I have a look at your ankle? If you don't wish to go to the ER I'd like to take a look at it and make sure that it's fine."

"It's just a sprain," and yet Chloe didn't do anything to stop him as Ben changed seats to be closer and carefully raised her leg so that her calf was rested against his knee.

Ben's gaze was on her ankle as he rolled up her pants leg and then frowned at the bandages. He unwound them slowly, revealing the horribly inflamed skin beneath, a hiss escaping his lips as he saw it. "How exactly did you hurt yourself if you don't mind me asking?"

She minded very much. "I twisted it while running away from a rampant mammoth."

Ben looked up at her, lips twitching in amusement. "Were there a sloth and a sabretooth tiger involved in this incident?"

Chloe couldn't keep the chuckle from her lips, realizing that had a true prehistoric sloth and sabretooth been involved in her accident it really wouldn't have been a special day.

He smiled back at her, dimples deep, before his gaze returned to her inflamed ankle as he examined it. "Does this hurt?"

She jerked and cried when he touched it. "Yes!"

"This looks bad. You might have torn the ligament in your ankle." Ben frowned. "You really should go to see a doctor about this."

Chloe looked away.

He gazed at her before sighing. "My uncle's a doctor, if you like I could ask him to look at this when he's off shift in a couple of hours."

She really shouldn't. "I really shouldn't."

He poked her ankle, causing her to jerk and cry out in agony. "You really should."

"That's called bullying!" Chloe pouted.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Where I come from, that's called being a Good Samaritan."

"I'm sure the Good Samaritan didn't poke the wounded dude while he was dying on the roadside." She pointed out before realizing that they'd had this very same discussion in her timeline.

Thankfully the coffees arrived, and Chloe had an excuse not to speak, Ben having left her foot resting up on the spare chair before returning to his own once more. They remained silent, staring at each other over the brims of their coffee, eyeing the other, sizing each other up. Chloe wondered what he was thinking, knowing she looked a mess and her story was spotty at best. He was probably thinking she was a crazy person who'd escaped a mental ward.

"I'm not an axe murderer." He finally declared.

The blonde choked on her sip, coughing. "_What_?"

"Are you okay?" Ben leaned forwards, frowning. "Didn't mean to scare you like that."

"You didn't scare me." She snorted at the very thought of Ben being scary. "You...surprised me. That was completely out of the blue. Random as hell."

He continued to watch her as she coughed slightly. "It's just that you were examining me so intently...I felt the need to clarify my offer as non-axe-ish."

This odd sense of humor was sharply surprising and Chloe found she liked it, even though it confused her somewhat. "Although axes were definitely not on my mind I'm much obliged to you for getting that future question out of the way."

"You're welcome." Ben smiled, taking another sip of his drink and leaning back against the seat. "Now that we have that clear, you should have no problem with my uncle giving your foot a look. He isn't fond of axes either."

Chloe held her cup to her chest, just eyeing Ben, fascinated by this side to him. "So axe-murdering isn't a time-honored family tradition."

"Most definitely not." He agreed, his face utterly serious. "I doubt most of the men in my family know how to properly handle an axe, much less wield it for nefarious purposes."

Chloe let out a bark of laughter before blushing, bringing her hand to cover her mouth at the loud, unattractive sound.

Ben smiled at her, dimples deep. "There. I knew there was a laugh somewhere in there."

She pouted at him, blush still lingering on her visage, before taking in a deep breath. "Thank you, for all of this. You don't know me and yet you're going out of your way to help me."

Just like he had in the future.

He cleared his throat and gazed down. "You can repay me by having my uncle give your ankle a look, make sure the ligament isn't broken. You won't get far on your own if it is."

Well...when he put it that way...

Chloe took in a long sip of her coffee.

She'd already changed _something_ in the future by just being seen by Ben...how much more damage could she do by accepting a little much needed help?

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**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Primeval/Smallville.

Sequel to: Primeval - Season Two

Chapter 2/4

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"You very nearly broke the ligament. Thankfully though, it's only sprained." Dr. Lindsay Jenkins declared as he tutted over her seat on Ben's surprisingly comfortable sofa. "You need to stay off of it for a couple of days at least, keep the foot elevated, and keep taking those tablets I gave you. They'll not only help with the pain but will get the swelling down."

Chloe listened and nodded, though part of her mind wasn't paying attention to his words, wondering instead why Dr. Jenkins seemed so familiar. His wasn't a face she could place but she knew somewhere deep in her mind that she'd seen it before. But where? And when? It nagged at her, complaining that she should know, should remember, but she didn't, and she wondered if she'd seen him in passing in the street or something of the sort.

"Thank you for coming over." Ben motioned his uncle to follow him to the kitchen to talk privately, and while that action from anyone else would have Chloe on the alert this was Ben, and she trusted him even though she didn't know this version of him. Her mother had said it, hadn't she? That nature only allowed a slight amount of variation? If so there was no way that Hilary "Ben" Becker would do anything to hurt her, and she trusted him.

The meds left her drowsy, and she leaned hard against the cushions, fighting with the urge to stay awake.

In the end she lost.

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"Where did you say you found her?" Dr. Lindsay Jenkins frowned as he sent a gaze towards the girl from the kitchen. She was sleeping, the pain meds knocking her out so that her body could have a chance to begin the healing process.

"Over by the cafe some streets down. She bumped into me, was spooked." Ben replied, removing a kettle from the stove, going towards where three cups of tea were waiting.

"Only two." Lindsay declared, giving the girl another look. "She's out cold."

A look of concern crossed Ben's face as he came towards him, sending the girl a look. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, her body needs rest." Lindsay raised an eyebrow at the concern on his nephew's face. This whole situation was surprising to him because while Ben was a good man for sure, he was a solitary one who wasn't the type to bring a stranger into his home, no matter how pretty she was. "Did you notice the state she's in? Her clothes alone show she's been in some sort of struggle, and from what I could tell from my examination there were bruises forming on her legs and I'm sure the rest of her body as well. Also, there's a tenderness, a bruising, to the back of the skull."

Ben's hazel eyes narrowed, his hold on the kettle's handle tightening visibly. "You're saying someone struck her."

"Enough to render her momentarily unconscious, yes." He nodded. "She's obviously running from someone, hiding from something. She could very well have escaped a kidnapping." Lindsay sighed as he pulled off his glasses and rubbed his fingers over his closed eyes. "We should take her to see your aunt, maybe Molly can-."

"If she didn't want to go to a hospital I doubt she'd want to go to the police." Ben interrupted, going back to the cups and pouring the boiling water into only two of them. "You didn't see what I did uncle, she was terrified. If I hadn't sworn that I wouldn't take her to the hospital she would have bolted as fast as that sprain could take her."

"It wouldn't have been pretty far." Lindsay muttered, watching as two spoonfuls of sugar were added to his beverage before passed to him. "Thank you."

Ben nodded, tending to his own cup.

Lindsay sighed as he gazed at his nephew. "What do you plan on doing boy? She's not a stray kitten you can just pick from the street and keep. Especially not if she has dangerous people after her. The best thing you can do is take her to Molly. You know she'll get to the bottom of this and make sure she's fine."

"No." Ben surprised him by answering.

"Be reasonable." Lindsay frowned, unable to believe that the boy was being so unlike himself.

What was it about this girl?

The only other time he'd seen Ben this determined was when he was eight years old and told everyone that from then on he refused to answer to his first name, and that he expected everyone to refer to him as "Ben" or they would be ignored. Many of the family, namely his parents, hadn't taken him seriously but the boy had proved true to his words even in the face of his father's deep annoyance, and in the end he'd won his way. Now the younger generation of the Becker clan didn't even realize that "Ben" wasn't his first name, and everyone left them to that belief out of respect to Ben and his wishes.

"Does she seem oddly familiar to you?" Lindsay frowned, sending the sleeping girl a look. There was something about her. He couldn't put his finger on what exactly it could be, but there was definitely something about her that made his mind uneasy, as if he was forgetting something important.

"Familiar?" Ben asked in a monotone way, expression blank. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure." Lindsay shook his head. "There's just something about her..."

Ben put down his cup of tea and went towards the fridge, giving him his back.

Lindsay observed him. "Do you know her?"

"Why would you think that?" Ben mumbled, looking in his fridge for something. "She won't even tell me her last name."

Lindsay narrowed his eyes at his nephew.

He was lying.

The boy knew the girl.

How could this be?

What was his nephew keeping from him?

And why?

Why would he call him and ask him to do this, and yet not tell him what he knew about this girl?

For a second Lindsay wondered if there wasn't something more sinister to the girl's injuries, but then he rejected the idea immediately. He'd known this boy from his birth, and Ben would never raise a hand to a woman. Also, he was protective of this girl, he wouldn't have hurt her. Also, she obviously trusted Ben. That much was obvious. The fact that she'd supposedly just met him and yet had come willingly to his flat and allowed herself to be _drugged_...it spoke of deep trust.

The doctor sighed.

The situation was quite intriguing, and while a part of him, the sensible side, told him that they needed to take the girl to Molly...another side of Lindsay, something he was beginning to suspect was instinct, told him to trust Ben's reasons (be they what the may) and let him handle this situation. He'd never seen Ben take to a girl before. Not like this. Except maybe a couple of years ago when he was around eighteen. Lindsay had felt pride at his nephew coming to him for advice on matters of the heart. He never knew whether the boy had taken his advice on how to handle being in love with a girl who was not only in love with someone else but in a relationship with him-but it mustn't have ever worked out. He'd never met the girl and the one time he'd asked Ben how it'd gone the boy had clammed up and changed the subject.

Lindsay had worried that that utter failure had turned the boy off of relationships on a whole, but there was definite interest here in his nephew as the boy sent looks of concern at the girl, who had started snoring softly in the living room.

Ben heard one of the louder snores and chuckled, shaking his head. "Such a lady."

Lindsay couldn't help but smile as he shook his head, finishing his tea. "I'll come by to see how her foot is tomorrow and I'll bring over some crutches for her. She shouldn't be putting any weight on that foot for a couple of days." He began to gather his things. "I left the pain killers in the living room, give her one every six hours, no sooner, and make sure she drinks a lot of liquid."

Ben nodded. "Thank you uncle."

"Don't make me regret this, Benjamin." Lindsay raised an eyebrow before letting himself out, the girl's snores serenading him on his way to the front door.

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She was snoring loud and proud, a little bit of drool making its way down the side of her open mouth.

Ben chuckled as he watched her, amused, dimples deep. She had absolutely no grace in the way she slept. She'd managed to take up his large sofa completely, limbs flung out, body twisted in a position which should be uncomfortable yet she seemed quite content with. There were dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't been getting much sleep lately. His mind went to his uncle's comment about her having been knocked out recently, his eyes narrowed as anger filled him. At least now she was safe. He doubted anyone after her would be able to track him down and find her here, but even despite that assurance he went and armed the security system he'd had installed...just in case.

Returning to her side, Ben leaned down and eased her into his arms. He straightened, shifting her weight somewhat, before making the short trek to his bedroom, pushing the door open with his foot as he entered the semi-darkness. Determined strides led him to the bed and without hesitation he laid her onto it despite the fact that she was somewhat filthy. He wrapped her up, reaching for the extra cushion and positioning it sideways next to her, his lips twitching in amusement when she turned towards it and wrapped both her arm and unhurt leg around it, muttering something incoherent in her sleep.

She was utterly adorable.

Shaking his head, Ben turned towards the closet and turned on the light inside, pulling out an extra blanket and cushion he kept there, pausing when his gaze fell upon the box. He gulped, putting the blanket and pillow down as he reached for the box, and after sending Chloe a look, opened it. He shuffled through the things within before pulling out a picture. His gaze went to the girl sleeping on his bed before he put it down and shuffled through, coming out with yet another picture. He took in a deep breath, letting it fall back in the box. He then reached in and pulled out a knife, intricate and beautifully crafted. He observed it for a moment before replacing it with another object that'd been kept within the box...a charm bracelet. He gazed at it, losing himself to his thoughts for a moment, before finally closing the box and returning it to the top of the closet, which was high enough that he didn't have to worry about it being taken down by the tiny woman snoring enthusiastically on his bed. Especially not with her foot hurt the way it was.

Picking up the blanket and pillow, Ben sent Chloe one last look before going to spend the night on his sofa.

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**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own Primeval/Smallville.

Sequel to: Primeval - Season Two

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Chloe awoke to the scent of eggs, bacon, and coffee.

Obviously she'd died and gone to heaven.

Groaning, the blonde stretched as she opened her eyes, yawning. For a split second she froze in terror, wondering where she was, and then the events of the night before returned to her like the memory of a movie, and as she gazed around the bedroom she could only guess that Ben had moved her there after she'd conked out. She pulled the sheet from her body, seeing herself dressed in the same dirty clothes from the day before, and cringing at the dirt accumulated on the once pristine sheets. He really should have just left her sleeping on the sofa. She doubted he'd be able to get the mess out of these sheets. Then again, she could have dirtied up his sofa as well, and it was easier to buy new sheets instead of a new sofa.

Taking in a deep breath, Chloe turned to slip out of bed, finding a glass of water and a teacup with two pills in it over a note. Intrigued she reached for the note, sliding it from under the teacup, Ben's scribble informing her that she was to take the pills at the hour specified. And if she woke up on her own to take them. Her gaze went to the clock, finding it only ten minutes from the time specified, and figured a few minutes couldn't do much harm. She took the pills and put back down the glass of water, pausing when she noticed a book on the other side of the night table. It seemed old and quite worn.

Reaching for it, Chloe paused at the title.

The Time Traveler's Wife.

She blinked in surprise, thumbing through the pages, realizing that this book had seen its wear. Some of the pages had been bent back, while parts of the text had been softly underlined in pencil. It was all quite intriguing, especially since she couldn't see Ben as the science-fiction type.

There were more and more layers to this timeline's Ben that fascinated Chloe.

A knock sounded on the door. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah!" Chloe turned towards the door.

It opened, Ben peeking his head in before entering, holding a tray that smelled too heavenly to be fair. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you." Chloe smiled up at him, running her fingers through her hair self-consciously, knowing she looked like a mess. "You really didn't have to give up your bed."

He didn't answer that, instead reaching down to place the tray on her lap. "Uncle Lindsay is coming over in a little to see how your foot is, and he'll bring some crutches so you can get around."

"He didn't have to do that-you don't either." And yet her mouth salivated at the breakfast served her.

"I left a change of clothes that should fit you in the bathroom." He surprised her by saying.

She kept her gaze on her food as she raised her fork. "You sure your girlfriend won't mind me using her clothes?"

There was silence before Ben cleared his throat. "She left."

And yet he'd kept the clothes?

Chloe fought the jealousy curling in her throat, reminding herself that this wasn't her Ben, she didn't have any right over him.

Eating silently, Chloe barely noticed when Ben slipped out to give her some privacy. She ate the food, barely tasting it, before finally putting the tray on the table and hobbling towards the bathroom. The bath did wonders to her, making her feel somewhat more human and less of a street rat, and when she slipped into the jeans and shirt left for her she found they were definitely her size. Chloe gazed at herself in the mirror, wondering what Ben's ex had looked like. A snide, horrible side of her hoped that she wasn't as attractive as Chloe herself, but considering that the blonde had never considered herself a great beauty she doubted it.

The image of a Lana Lang look-alike taunted her brain.

Closing her eyes, Chloe took in a deep breath before letting it out, opening her eyes. She had to go in there, thank Ben for all he'd done for her, and then she had to leave. Already she'd spent way too much time with him in the past. A chance meeting with a woman in the street he might forget, but this had gone beyond that. There was no way that the Ben in her time wouldn't remember her now, and that would add to too many questions. Only the gods knew whatever had changed in the future now thanks to her weakness in accepting help from him. She needed to butch up and find a way back to her own time. She wasn't sure how exactly, but she needed to think of something, to stop dallying and letting herself be taken care of. She needed to be strong, needed to be like her father, and in a sense, like her mother.

Helen Cutter would know what to do had she been in her situation, and that rankled Chloe. She would not let an insane woman get the best of her. She was going to outsmart her mother at what could possibly be a game, and find a way back home. That anomaly which had brought her here had been too exact, too quick, to be a mere coincidence, and it'd taken her to the cage room when others took people to other times and places and-.

Chloe's eyes widened.

The cage room!

The anomaly that'd brought her could reopen-and if it did it would reopen in the _cage room_.

How had she been so dumb as to not think about it before?

She needed to get to the place and-.

But it was day...and the place was obviously in the middle of construction-which meant that there would be workers there during the day. The best chance she had of getting back there undetected was to go at night. And wait as long as she had to.

Relieved that she at least had a semblance of a plan, Chloe made it out of the bathroom and bedroom, pausing in the doorway as she noticed Ben and_ really_ looked at him without the distraction of heavenly food. He wore a loose, sleeveless muscleshirt, jogging pants, and his hair was tousled, completely messy. He sat at the small table and drank what smelt like coffee while reading the newspaper. Everything about him as a man called to everything female in her body, the shock of the intensity nearly crippling her as her hand reached out to grab the bedroom's doorknob for something to hold onto.

For a moment she was transported back to time, shocked stiff by the sensation of being in the right timeline, before the anomalies ruined everything. How many times had she emerged from the bedroom to find a scene like this one? Ben would always wake up before her and be back from his morning jog by the time she got up. He'd be drinking coffee, reading the newspaper, and commenting to himself about whatever caught his fancy in the print that day. He'd then smile when he noticed her and she'd slip into his lap, kissing the taste of coffee from his lips before finally sliding away to get some of her own which would always be waiting for her.

Ben's dark gaze rose to her, the cup of coffee to his lips, the newspaper still covering a portion of his face.

"Hey." He quickly lowered the newspaper and coffee, standing, almost as if to attention, as he gazed at her.

"I forgot the tray in the bedroom." She suddenly remembered, turning to go back.

"That's fine, I got it while you were bathing." He replied, stopping her hasty retreat. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, but it's a lot better than it was last night." Chloe leaned against the wall, keeping her weight off of her injured foot. "I should be out of your hair in no time, don't worry."

Instead of being pleased, a look of disappointment flashed over his face as he clasped his hands behind his back and stood in a stance so military it shocked her. "I'm not worried. It's not a bother."

"Surely you'll have to go to work soon."

"I'm on leave for a couple of days." He replied, his gaze lowering before he raised it to eye her. "It started yesterday, actually."

Of all the coincidences.

Chloe's eyes narrowed slightly as she eyed him, asking him the one thing she'd promised she wouldn't because she didn't want him asking her. "What do you do?"

Ben eyed her before smirking, for some reason terribly amused. "Accounting."

Chloe gasped, eyes widening.

For a second she felt deja vu as once more their conversation seemed to parallel one she'd had with him in the original timeline.

"Oh?" Her voice trembled and she cleared it, trying to keep her heart from racing so terribly, her breathing from accelerating as she recited her lines. "How terribly...exciting."

He shrugged. "Keeps the bills paid. Keeps me busy too. This is the first vacation I've taken."

She brought a hand to her chest, her control on herself slowly slipping from her fingers as that sense of deja vu grew as he responded like her own Ben had responded, word for word. "So...what does an accountant do on his free time?"

There was a moment before Ben relaxed from his tense position, a smile starting to creep onto his features as he gazed at her intently. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight and find out?"

Chloe couldn't look away from him, her breathing erratic, tears prickling at her eyes as false hope began to tease her. "_Dinner_?"

"Yes. Dinner." Ben replied, taking a step towards her, reaching out and softly brushing a strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear. "You can pick the place, and just give me directions."

The tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at him, confusion growing, choking her, leaving her unable to speak as the tears now silently made their way down her cheek.

He gazed deep into her eyes, his hand cupping her jaw, his thumb brushing away a tear.

Suddenly a knock at the door broke into the atmosphere, breaking into the moment, drawing them apart.

Chloe nearly plastered herself against the wall, confused and scared and hating herself for her stupid hope.

Ben turned towards the door and gave a little growl as he walked towards it, peering through the peephole before deactivating an alarm and opening the door to his uncle. "You're early."

"Morning to you too sunshine." Dr. Lindsay Jenkins snorted, breezing past his nephew, gaze finding Chloe. "Good. You look much better tonight. The rest did wonders for your colors."

There was still that sensation that she knew this man from somewhere, but Chloe pushed it away and smiled at him. "Hey doc. I love your meds."

He smiled. "Humor. Always a good sign." He motioned to the crutches he was carrying. "Have these. I broke my leg some years back and I've been trying to find a way of getting rid of them without just dumping them in the garbage."

"Thank you." Chloe smiled, accepting the crutches with a smile, leaning against them. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine, my shift doesn't begin until later so I wanted to come over and see how your ankle's doing." Without any preamble he motioned to the sofa. "Shall we?"

Nodding, Chloe made her way to the sofa and with his help sat down, watching the doctor as he sat on an ottoman and examined her ankle.

"The swelling is still there but it's gone down somewhat. Your fever has also broken thankfully. How does this feel?"

Chloe winced.

"Thought so. You're still very tender." He hummed, examining her foot, before frowning slightly when his beeper went off. Lindsay checked it, sighing. "Have to go, there's been an emergency and they need me."

"Of course." Chloe straightened as he stood and left her foot elevated and resting on the ottoman. "Thank you again."

"No problem dear. Just keep that foot elevated." He replied, heading towards the door. "See you Ben."

"Uncle."

The door closed.

Chloe gazed at her foot, desperate to keep things from that murky, torturous confusion it'd been before. "You know, I forgot to ask, where does your uncle work?"

"Uncle Lindsay?" Ben locked the door behind the man. "He's a doctor at the Royal London Hospital."

"Royal London Hospital?" Chloe wondered why that sounded so familiar, and then she remembered, smiling. "I've been there before!"

"You have?" He asked curiously.

"Yes." She nodded with a smile. "Stephen and I were in an accident and-."

"Stephen?" Ben froze by the door.

Chloe gulped, lowering her gaze to her foot as she thought about Stephen, feeling horribly guilty that he must be mourning with her father over her supposed death while she was here salivating over Ben. She was a terrible, selfish person. "We were in an accident..." with Ben.

Her eyes widened as she realized that.

That was where she'd first seen the Ben from this universe/timeline.

At Royal London Hospital.

"Who's Stephen?" Ben asked softly.

Chloe's heart raced.

Royal London Hospital.

That's where she'd met Ben.

That-that was where she'd met Lindsay!

He'd been the ER doctor who'd tended to her!

Dr. Lindsay Jenkins had tended to her!

Chloe's eyes widened. "_Oh my god_."

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**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Don't own Primeval/Smallville.

Sequel to: Primeval - Season Two

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"So...your boyfriend's name is Stephen."

Ben's low voice broke into Chloe's horrified realization, her eyes widening as she twisted on the sofa as much as her injured ankle resting on the ottoman would allow, staring up at the man she suspected had come looking for her three years in the future when his uncle had called and told him she was in the hospital. The man whom she'd pretended to not know. The man who'd known she'd been lying. Who'd known she'd been pretending not to remember him. And he knew this because he'd met her already. The present wouldn't change because she'd already gone back and changed it up to that point. It was why time travel was such a little bitch. There were just so many variables... She'd thought that because she was here she was doing something horrible to the future but part of the reason the future was the way it was was because she'd already come to the past and met Ben.

"Why haven't you called him for help?" Ben asked softly, hands clenched at his side. "Why hasn't he called you to make sure that you are fine? Doesn't he find it weird that you've just disappeared?"

That meant she was supposed to come to the past through that anomaly in the cage room...because she already had.

"You've been hurt, are possibly in danger, and yet you won't go to the hospital, won't call for him." Ben continued, voice gravelly.

What had her father called it again?

"If he's anything like you've told me then he should be more proactive, should be searching all over for you." Ben growled.

The Predestination Paradox? Was that what it was?

"I want to help you but you need to trust me." Ben declared earnestly.

Wasn't the Predestination Paradox theory where it was believed you were supposed to do something because you'd done it already? Or something along those lines?

"Are you even listening to me?" Ben frowned in her direction.

She brought a hand to her head, which was suddenly throbbing viciously as it tried to understand things way over her level of comprehension.

In the future Ben must have thought she was such a little ungrateful bitch! He'd helped her twice and she'd-!

Chloe couldn't keep the little horrified cry from her lips as she lowered her head and covered her face in mortification with her hands.

"Chloe?" Ben was kneeling besides her, a hand on her shoulder, his worried gaze heavy on her. "What's wrong?"

She couldn't tell him! She couldn't start to try and explain why in three years she'd be such an utter bitch to him! And she hated it! She hated herself. Hated her mother. The anomalies...everything and everyone.

The blonde tore her hands from her face, knowing she looked as miserable as she felt. "I'm sorry."

His eyebrows touched for a second in slight confusion as his hazel gaze met hers. "For what?"

"I can't say why." She whispered, voice thick. "But I need you to know that it's not because I'm being a bitch. I'm really, extremely grateful."

Ben continued to eye her oddly. "Okay."

And it hurt even more how he just accepted without asking questions. She realized she wanted him to ask questions. Wanted him to push. Wanted him to be an ass. Wanted-wanted-she didn't know what she wanted.

"Chloe." Ben reached up and cupped her jaw, causing her to look at him. "Don't worry, okay? I've got this. I can handle it."

She could feel he was trying to tell her something yet what exactly the message was she didn't know.

And she was afraid to ask.

There was something here, something different, something...

She leaned into his hand as it warmed her cheek.

"Are you in trouble?" Ben asked her, soft yet determined. "Who hurt you?" His eyes narrowed. "Was it Stephen?"

Her eyes widened in horror. "No!" Had she given him that impression? "Stephen would never hurt me!"

A flash of what seemed so very much like jealousy flashed over Ben's features at her ardent defense, yet he pushed it away. "Who did this then? Uncle Lindsay says that you were knocked unconscious and you were obviously running from something, someone." His hazel gaze entreated her trust. "Let me help you."

She couldn't tell him, he couldn't help her even if she did. "I'm okay now."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Chloe, I know you're confused and scared and don't like asking for help if you feel you can handle it on your own, but you need to know that you can trust me."

"How?" She whispered.

He tilted his head slightly. "How what?"

"How would you know that about me?" She kept her gaze on his, confused. "You don't know me."

He lowered his gaze, a strange expression fluttering over his features.

Chloe's heart fluttered as she tried desperately to remember why she should be pulling away from him.

Ben's hazel gaze darkened as he seemed to drink in her every feature, his hand sliding up to comb his fingers in her hair. "I like your hair." And yet he wasn't looking away from her eyes. "It's different."

She didn't even realize he'd side-stepped her question. "Thanks."

"Was it your idea?" He asked curiously, curling her locks around his fingers.

She didn't know. By the time she'd merged with the Chloe of this timeline-or took her place-she'd looked like her, hair and all. She didn't know if the multicolored streaks were her idea or someone else's. "I can't remember anymore...how I remember it they just seemed to be there one day. But it's growing on me."

He nodded, reaching with his free hand to brush a black streak out of her face, the tips of his fingers brushing against her skin.

Shivers of pleasure raced up her spine.

Who was moving closer to the other?

Her?

Or him?

She felt the heat on her skin as she began to tremble slightly.

The room seemed lighter.

"Promised myself I wouldn't do this again." He whispered to himself almost too softly to be understood before slipping a hand to cup the back of her neck and bringing her towards him in a deep kiss.

Chloe gasped, the action opening her mouth to the invasion as her eyes fluttered close. Heat spread throughout her body, electricity at her fingertips as she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him closer without even realizing she had. She arched into him, ignoring the throbbing in her ankle as she kissed Ben back with just as much intensity as he her. She'd imagined finding Ben in this timeline, imagined kissing him, imagined so many things...and it was shocking that kissing Ben wasn't at all as she'd fantasied. She knew that this wasn't her Ben, the Ben from the right timeline, she knew this was a completely different person altogether.

She could taste it on his lips, the difference.

And she liked it.

This Ben was all sorts of odd and contrasting her mental picture of what he should be, and the mystery just made her attraction heighten painfully.

Oh, what she wouldn't give to just be able to stay here and get to know this man.

Ben growled into her mouth as he leaned in closer, pressing her into the sofa.

Chloe tightened her hold on him, desperate to have him near.

Her trembling grew.

Suddenly something exploded loudly outside, screams from the pedestrians breaking into the moment.

They pulled away, staring at each other in a slight trance, then Ben reached forwards and gave her another deep kiss before pulling away, going to the window and pulling the curtain aside, staring down at the street.

Chloe just sat on the sofa, breathing erratic, heart racing, a dark blush climbing up her breasts.

Wow.

"What the-?" Ben frowned at whatever it was he was seeing before turning to Chloe. "I'll be right back."

He turned and jogged towards the door, deactivating the alarm system to open the door and then setting it once more as he left, the door closing behind him.

Chloe brought her fingers to her lips, closing her eyes as she relived the kiss.

_Wow_.

Suddenly something sounded in the kitchen.

Eyes flying open, Chloe frowned as she grabbed a crutch and slowly, painfully, stood. Something inside of her throbbed, and for a second she wanted to believe it was merely her heart still reacting to the kiss, yet when a bright light suddenly appeared to be shining out of Ben's kitchen, Chloe couldn't deny the truth anymore.

The blonde slowly made her way to the kitchen and stood in the doorway, gazing at the anomaly floating before her, throbbing with life.

It was that moment she knew for sure that her mother was behind all of this.

Helen's words, her comment about changing things and walking through the anomaly with Ben instead of doing so alone, rang hauntingly in her ears. She'd done all of this as an experiment, to see how things would change, tempting Chloe by using her weakness for Ben so she'd do this for her.

And Chloe hated how much she was tempted to do so, to wait until Ben returned and somehow get him to go through the anomaly with her.

But she wouldn't do this.

She hadn't done this.

In the future Ben hadn't been a part of the team, and if she'd already gone to past in that timeline then it meant that she'd been stronger than Helen's temptations, than her own feelings.

She'd walked through the anomaly alone.

A selfish part of her wanted the anomaly to close, to disappear and leave her here, but the young woman knew somehow that her mother had opened it for her and it wouldn't close until she stepped through it.

Making her way slowly towards it, Chloe paused by the fridge, staring at the small writing pad and pen magnet on it. She hesitated, two sides warring within her, before the blonde hobbled closer and pulled the pen free, yanking the cap off and writing on the pad.

_**Ben: I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your help, but I have to go now, and I'm sorry that I have to do so without saying goodbye.**_

Her gaze went to the pulsating ball of light and life.

_**Please thank your uncle for all of his kindness. And please remember, the way I act, it's not out of ingratitude. - Chloe**_

Sighing, Chloe put the pen back to the fridge, before turning to the waiting anomaly, and walking through it.

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Nick sat in his bedroom, going through the pictures he'd retrieved from Stephen and Chloe's flat before the rest of the things left were discarded. Stephen had somehow gotten his contacts to help him smuggle Baby out of England with him when he'd left for only god knew where, and had left mostly everything else behind. They couldn't find him or where he'd gone, but Nick could understand his need to get away from everything here, everything that reminded him of Chloe. But Nick wasn't that strong. That was why he'd gone to the flat and removed anything Chloe had left behind when she'd moved out, which were mostly pictures.

He needed the pictures.

He'd had so few of his own, and now that she was gone-.

Nick's hand tightened around the picture frame in his hand, a tear trailing down his cheek and making the journey through the air before landing on a picture of his daughter grinning mischievously and giving him bunny ears without his knowledge.

He ignored the sound of keys in the lock, the door opening.

Jenny, Abby and Connor had taken turns coming over to force him to eat and make sure he hadn't done something stupid.

"Cutter?" Jenny called, footsteps and whispers heading towards him.

"Careful." Connor whispered to someone. "You okay?"

"You're gonna hurt her Connor you're so clumsy." Abby hissed.

"Oi!" Connor complained.

Nick ignored them as Jenny entered the bedroom.

"Cutter?" Jenny cleared her throat. "Cutter, we have a surprise for you."

He didn't even look up.

There was some movement and then someone hobbled towards him. "Dad?"

Nick's eyes widened and his body froze, dropping the picture as he turned to see Chloe leaning hard against a crutch, giving him a worried look.

Jenny smiled. "Look who walked through our last anomaly."

"Dad?" Chloe's eyes were narrowed in worry. "Are you okay?"

Nick didn't remember standing but suddenly he was holding her in his arms tightly and crying into her hair as he refused to let go.

She didn't hesitate, letting her crutch fall to the ground as she hugged him back, relying on him to keep her standing and steady. "Are you okay?"

He cried harder, held her tighter.

He didn't know how this was possible, but he didn't care.

He had his little girl back home.

That was all that mattered.

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"All I'm saying is that Nessie could very well be some aquatic dinosaur who swam in through an anomaly, spent some time in Loch Ness, and then went back out before the anomaly closed." Chloe declared as they sat in Nick's living room, just enjoying the fact that they were all alive and together. "It would explain why there have been so many sightings, and some pictures, and yet any exploration of Loch Ness has found no proof of the 'monster' that so famously is supposed to live there."

"No, don't be giving Connor more ideas." Nick scolded.

"She's got a point though, Cutter." Jenny declared over the Chinese they'd ordered.

"I agree." Abby declared, chopsticks in hand. "Who's to say Nessie isn't something like a Plesiosaur who swam through an anomaly?"

"Why haven't I thought about this before?" Connor whispered to himself, horrified. "It's so bloody obvious!"

"Now see what you've done?" Nick raised an eyebrow at Chloe.

Chloe smiled as she looked between the members of her family, because that was exactly who these people were. Family.

Stephen and Baby were missing, and Chloe tried to fight back the guilt at knowing that her disappearance was to blame for Stephen leaving everything he loved behind. No one could find him or Baby, and while they'd insisted they wouldn't give up searching for him they'd admitted that they doubted he'd let himself be found if he didn't want to be.

Chloe wished that things hadn't ended so poorly between them, that they could have worked through their issues and returned to the friendship they'd once had.

But maybe that was impossible in this timeline. Maybe-and a part of her felt terribly guilty for this-maybe this was better.

Still, a part of her felt as if this wasn't the last that she'd seen of Stephen Hart.

Nick reached out and played with his hair, obviously still trying to convince himself that she was really there.

Chloe smiled at her father, threading her fingers through his and squeezing tightly.

She'd tell him about what she believed was Helen's part in the whole anomaly part later.

For right now, she basked in her family, and the comfort and love they showered.

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It was a miracle that the girl had returned to them alive and in one piece. They'd been incredibly lucky and while uncanny luck seemed like a trait this ragtag group of difficult people possessed he knew that they couldn't rely on luck anymore. They needed to be protected, whether they wanted to be or not. They'd nearly lost the yankee to a terrible death, and they'd lost Stephen to his mourning. All of this could have been avoided if things had been different, if he hadn't let himself believe that they could take care of themselves.

In his office, long after everyone else had gone to their homes, James Lester stared at the different files on his desk. He was going to bring together the best security team seen in the Queen's kingdom and he'd make them stick to Cutter and his group like ticks.

He went through the different men he'd had recommended to him to lead the security detail, and while many of them were quite fine candidates one stood above all the rest.

Lester reached for Captain Becker's file, reluctantly impressed by the many commendations and awards he'd won. His superiors praised him. And there was this look in his eyes that Lester liked. This Becker fellow looked like someone who could go head to head with Nick Cutter.

_So...Captain Becker it is._

Shaking his head, Lester continued to read up on his new Head of Security.

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**End of Predestination Paradox.**


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